September 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the September 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

September is here and with it comes kids going back to school, cooler days and nights, the harvest of many fruits and veggies, and some “Friday Nights under the lights” for your favorite high school team! It is also our National Preparedness Month! It’s the perfect month to focus on our preparedness! We can make communication plans with our family as kids go to school and activities. We can use the available harvest to add to our storage shelves. We can restock a 72- kit so we are ready for emergencies. The world is certainly in commotion – weather, politics, wars, and basic unrest. We can CHOOSE to provide peace and security for our homes as we are prepared for whatever life may hold. “Where preparations are being made there will be little difficulty, but where no preparation has been made, suffering and difficulties will come” (John H Vandenberg)

Let us provide peace for our families – and Be Prepared!

 

Included in this month's newsletter:

Ready For the Storms of Life - suggestions for the five basic categories of preparedness.

Provident Living - The Simple Life - Tipos to "simplify" to take a step toward provident living and self reliance.

Disaster Prep - the 6 P's - ideas for making plans before a disaster strikes.

In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for September planting and garden chores.

Using the Garden Harvest - tips for fall harvest veggies.

Extending Shelf Life - Keeping Food Safe - tips for storing food and best used by dates.

The Fall Harvest - Apples and Pears - tips to harvest and preserve.

 Click here for a complete copy of the September 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.  

August 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

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The dog days of summer are upon us! When this hot and sultry time of year shows up, so do the popsicles, a swim in the river, good “summer reads”, and early rising to beat the heat in the garden or for a summer walk around the block. The garden plants are stressed, and the harvest has slowed. It’s just hot. But it is also a great time to shade up indoors and do some inventory! Where do you stand with your preparedness plan? How are your storage shelves looking? What can you add while the harvest is still in full swing? This is a great time to gather the family and make a plan: play the “what if” game. Go over scenarios that our world is experiencing, and make a plan of action and communication. Dog days really offer us a wonderful time for reflection and planning. Let’s use these summer days to our advantage. Let us Be Prepared!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Provident Living: History's Preparedness Lessons - things we can learn from those who lived through the Great Depression.

Helping Families in Disasters/Emergencies - a list of things to do NOW to prepare our family to handle a future disaster.

Spiritual Preparedness - quotes to encourage.

In the Southern Utah Garden- a list of August garden chores.

Using the Harvest: Preserving Peppers and Tomatoes - ideas and recipes, and references to other newsletters for more recipes.

It's Freezing in August - tips to freeze the summer harvest, things to try freezing, and freezer appliance tips.

 Click here for a complete copy of the August 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

July 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

 

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This is the month we celebrate both our freedom and heritage on Independence and Pioneer Days! It’s a great time to show our gratitude as we celebrate and rededicate ourselves to the cause of freedom and religion. We have known these freedoms all of our lives, so it may be easy to take them for granted. Let us share the stories of the founding revolutionary fathers and faithful pioneer ancestors with our families, and reflect on the blessings provided by those that went before us. Then put that gratitude and remembrance to work to preserve and honor the gifts that are ours. We have the freedom to live our lives as we desire. Part of that “living” should be in providing for our families. That includes having food storage, extra water, emergency and first aid supplies, a savings account, and a little garden for fresh veggies! In some countries it is illegal to store supplies. But we are not that country! We have the freedom to Be Prepared! Let us use that freedom wisely, be grateful for the blessings that are ours, and stand strong to defend our civil and religious liberties!

Included in this month's issue:

What to do in the Summertime - if the power is out! Lots of reasons the power can go out. Prepare in advance for WHEN it happens.

Spiritual Preparedness - quote on the only read home storage by Marvin K Ashton.

Family: July 4th and 24th celebration traditions - Family activities build unity, which helps the family make it through hard times. a list of fun ideas, including a simple homemade ice-cream recipe.

In the Southern Utah Garden: planting for a fall harvest, fruit tree spraying, eliminating squash bugs, and a list of tomato tips.

Using the Harvest - recipes for Peach Pit Jelly, Apple Peel Jelly, and Zucchini Relish.

Mid-Year Inventory - the list of basics. Check yourself, and make a grocery list!

Disaster Prep: Emergency Sources of Water - a list of things to do to have water in case of a municipal outage.

 Click here for a complete copy of the July 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

June 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

 

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June is the month that school is out, summer is here, and weddings are booked on weekends. The days are long and the nights are pleasant. The summer heat has not intensified yet- so lots of fun activities can take place. The temptation to squander away the summer days may be there- but the challenge this month is “carpe diem” – seize the day! What can you fill this month with to further your family preparation? Spend time in the garden, build some storage shelves, learn to sew a pillowcase, or have a BBQ! Above all – whatever activities you choose to fill this month with - do it as a family. Whether you are married, single, young or old – include “family” as part of your summer learning. Even if you are not near immediate family – you can be a part of a church family, or a neighborhood family. God made us families for a reason. We need each other! And June is the perfect time to gather as families, and fill our time with activities that will help us be prepared, and in turn bring us closer together!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Food Storage: Use It or Lose It - tips for rotation and organizing your food storage shelves.

Summer Time and the livin' - and preparing - is easy! Ideas for summer fun to add to your disaster and preparedness status and skills.

Spiritual Preparedness - a quote from Thomas S Monson on withstanding the harsh storms and icy winds of adversity.

In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for June gardens.

Disaster Prep: Outdoor Cooking - a list of ways you can cook outdoors to have fun this summer, and prepare for an emergency need to cook out of doors.

Using Your Food Storage - Ideas to use old bottled and frozen fruit. Using the Harvest recipes for "mock" tomato or zucchini jam. 

The "Egg-cellent" Egg! Tips for freezing eggs, and storage.

Click here for a complete copy of the June 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

 

May 2022 Back to Basics

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May is a month with many references to the joy it brings. It has been called “The Merry Month of May,” the arrival of which historically brought “May Day” celebrations, that often included the weaving of the May Pole! We always hear that “April showers bring May flowers!” The blooming roses, lilacs, and iris are proof! It’s pretty hard to NOT like the month of May. This is also a great month for us to focus on our preparedness! We can finish planting a garden, bottle some strawberry jam, and cut a bouquet of flowers from the garden to brighten someone’s day. It is a great time to plan how to use the summer to add to our preparedness. What can you bottle or dry to store for winter? Can you turn a closet or room into a storage area? What tools or equipment can you purchase to be ready for any disaster? What are you lacking in YOUR preparedness plan?  Whatever it is - this Merry Month of May is the perfect time to get it done!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Self-Sufficiency and Food Shortages - a list of ways to get going on your food storage, places to find food, and ideas to afford it!

Disaster Prep: Family Preparedness Survey - a list of 21 questions to ask you and your family to help focus on ways to be prepared for an emergency.

In The Southern Utah Garden - gardening tasks to do in the month of May.

Cooking with Food Storage - Recipes for Homemade Egg Noodles, and Pizza Crust (with topping suggestions) that can be used for a breakfast cinnamon roll!

A "New" Planting Guide - Mother Nature's time line for planting gardens.

Using Food Storage: Powdered Eggs - Amounts to use to reconstitute, and a recipe for egg substitutes.

Provident Living: How to Live on a Shoe String - a list of money saving ideas and cleaning recipes.

Spiritual Preparedness - a quote from Dallin H Oaks on a 24 hour spiritual prep kit.

Click here for a complete copy of the May 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

April 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

Click here for a link to the April 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

We have long heard that “April showers bring May flowers.” A few stormy days bring about great beauty! We roll up our sleeves and plant seeds, water and weed, and add sunshine from on high, and before we know it our homes are surrounded by colorful blooms. So it is with preparedness. It takes some effort and planning; some “rolling up of sleeves,” to establish and maintain a solid family preparedness program. But that extra food on the shelf, water in a jug, and garden in the yard, all help bring about great satisfaction and personal peace. It is not too late to plant flowers to enjoy this summer! And it is never too late to start, add to, and strengthen your family preparedness. Just like you have your own favorite flowers - only you know the needs of your family. Storms will continue to roll around. It is our job to be sure our family is ready to weather the storms with the preparedness we have established. Our family’s peace and satisfaction will come from the “flowers” we plant today.

Included in this month's newsletter:

H2O - Cool Clear Water: Tips for storing water for your family.

"Heart Attack" your family: Get a First Aid Kit - Learn First Aid! Tips and a list for your kit.

In the Southern Utah Garden: Tips and a list to plant for April.

Cooking with Food Storage- Recipes for Basic Bread, Homemade Pudding and Basic Pancakes.

Provident Living: A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned - A list of money saving ideas.

Disaster Prep for April - Specific tasks to do this month to help prepared for disasters.

Spiritual Preparedness - Quote from President Ezra Taft Benson on listening to prophets to be prepared.

 Click here for a link to the April 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

March 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

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This month we will “March” right in to spring! It may come and go like a lion or lamb, but in between, the days seem to have a hard time deciding if it is winter, spring, or summer.  True to spring it is a time of renewal. New gardens can be planted, new blossoms pop, and yards look new again. It is a great time to renew our preparedness efforts. We can plan and plant for this year’s canning and eating fresh from the garden. We can inventory our food storage and renew our monthly plan to restock. YOU are the one who can best take care of your family, so plan accordingly. We see unrest across the face of this tired old earth, and we have been warned to Be Prepared. The “forecast” for last day’s storms has been made. It is up to us to heed the warning and set aside for the rainy days upon us. Let us “March” right into the Peace of Preparedness.

Included in this month's newsletter:

Now that I bought it - Where do I store it? General guidelines for storing food, storage place suggestions, and container and storage tips.

Magical Food Storage Shelf Space! Ways to store food without giving up space behind doors, along a hall, or between the studs. Pictures included.

In the Southern Utah Garden - planting lists, transplanting tips, and garden chores for March.

Start at the Very Beginning - The Three Month Supply Made Easy- A grocery list suggestion for one adult 3 month supply.

Cooking With Food Storage - recipes for Sour Dough Starter, Sour Dough Biscuits, and Flour Tortillas.

 Click here for a complete copy of the March 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

February 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

 

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February is the “Month of Love.” We ask our favorite someone to “Be My Valentine,” and shower loved ones with flowers, chocolates, or a special dinner. It is also a wonderful time to show our families “love” by adding to our preparedness. “Love is” … storage shelves filled, 72-hour kits in a closet, first aid kits, and barrels of extra water. No one knows our family’s needs, or can care for them, - quite like we do. What a disaster it would be to watch loved ones go hungry or thirsty. We do not know when our “preparedness” will be needed, but we can know that we have done all we could to follow the commandment to “Be Prepared, and that the Lord will “Make all things work together for our good.” If we do our best, He makes up the difference. He has said – “If ye love me, Keep my commandments.” Preparedness is one of those commandments. Let’s show our love!

Included in this month's newsletter:

Food Storage: Use it or Lose it: a list of ideas to help protect your investment.

Disaster Prep - Be a Survivor - a list of "survivor skills" to teach your family.

In the Southern Utah Garden - things to plant and chores to do in February. Includes planting tips.

Pruning Tips - tips to help you prune fruit trees, and a reference for further instructions.

Cooking with Food Storage - What's for Breakfast? Recipes for Breakfast Peach Crisp, Baking Powder Biscuits, Hot Cereals (Oats, Cornmeal, Wheat).

Provident Living - (Clothes) - Got you Covered! Tips on storing clothing to save money and Be Prepared.

Spiritual and Temporal Preparedness - thoughts on how the two go together.

Click here for a complete copy of the February 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

January 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete January 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

Another baby New Year has rolled around, and Father Time has moved on, passing on both his timekeeping duties, and his aged wisdom. What did YOU learn in 2021 that will help you in 2022?  What goals will you make that will move you forward in your life progression? As we make our “New Year’s Resolutions” let us be sure to include preparedness goals, both spiritual and temporal. The new year holds the opportunity of growth and goodness for each of us. Our individual choices will determine the outcome of each year. We may not know what the future will hold in our society, economy, politics, weather, disasters, or personal adversities, but we CAN choose to Be Prepared for whatever sun shining days or storm filled nights that will come our way. Our peace and happiness does not depend on WHAT happens, but instead, how PREPARED we are for anything that does. May our 2022 be a Prepared one!

Included in this Newsletter:

New Beginnings - PREP GOAL SETTING - ideas to set preparedness goals.

Disaster Prep - Winter Warnings - ideas to be prepared in cold winter disasters.

Spiritual Preparedness Friends! Quotes about friends and how they help us.

In the Southern Utah Garden - the five P's (Prune, Prevent, Plan, Plant, Prepare) to do for your garden.

Cooking with Food Storage: Use Your Bean! "How to" cook beans and recipes to use them.

Provident Living: Winter Wonderland Activities - a list of winter ideas to help you save money, recreate for cheap and build family unity. 

Provident Living: A Penny Saved - recipes for play dough and emergency cardboard candles.

  Click here for a complete January 2022 Back to Basics Newsletter.

December 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the December 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Trees are decorated, lights are hung, and nativities set up. In some places snow flurries are swirling, and in others they are only “dreaming” of a White Christmas! It truly is “the most wonderful time of the year!” This is a season of extra love, care and kindness as we search for the perfect gift and find ways to serve. It is the perfect time to give “preparedness!” We can give gifts to help family and friends “Be Prepared. We can give service to a neighbor to help them Be Prepared for winter. (Cut a load of wood, rake their leaves, or clean the rain gutters.) The lists of gifts we can give are as endless as people’s needs vary. We can also gift ourselves and families with the Spirit of Christmas – which is the Spirit of Christ. As we draw near to Him, whose birth we celebrate, we fill our spiritual preparedness lamps. May we help each other be a little more prepared with the gifts we bring. And may YOUR days “be merry and bright” as we bring The Light of Christ into this world, and prepare for His 2^nd coming.

Included in this month's newsletter:

A Preparedness Christmas - Gifts to Give: A list of ideas to give as gifts to family and friends that will help them be more prepared.

Disaster Prep: Helping Children Cope: Things to watch for and ways to help children before and after disasters.

In the Southern Utah Garden: Garden tasks for December.

Cooking with Food Storage - Old Fashioned Christmas Treats: recipes with ingredients that can be stored on your shelves!

Provident Living - Winter Ready: a list of things to do to be prepared for winter.

Spiritual Preparedness: a Quote from Pres. Russell M Nelson about our spiritual storehouses.

Wood Burning - "Hot" Tips: tips for what kind of wood you'll need for your winter wood burning to keep warm.

 Click here for a complete copy of the December 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

November 2021 Back to Basics Newsletters

 

Click here for a complete copy of the November 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

The season of gratitude is a welcomed time of year. Harvest is over, the world glows with fall colors, and crisp mornings smell of woodstoves and colder weather. Hopefully at each of our homes we can sing the Harvest Songs with confidence and peace: “All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin,” and “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing.” This is the perfect season for enjoying the fruits of our labors as we see our temporal and spiritual storage shelves ready for whatever storms arise. However, we should not assume that “All is well in Zion,” and forget to continue, or even start, the Provident Living program that will bring peace to our homes. It is never too late to start, and we should always continue in making our “preparedness” a way of life – one that gives power to face the storm, and peace while it rages around us.

Included in this month's newsletter:

Grain - What to store - a list of items and tips.

Provident Living: Thanksgiving from a shelf! Stored items for a TG dinner.

Disaster Prep - Be a Survivor! - A list of items we can learn and teach our families to be ready for hard times.

In the Southern Utah Garden - tips for November's Garden

Using the Harvest: Pumpkins - recipes for Dinner in a Pumpkin, Pumpkin Cake, and what to do with old Jack-o-lanterns.

Modern Root Cellar - how to turn your window well into a mini root cellar for potatoes, apples and more.

The Doctor is in ...Dr. Mom that is! - Home Remedies to try for cold and flu season.

Taking Note - a quote from Elder David A Bednar on the importance of preparedness.

Click here for a complete copy of the November 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

October 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter

 Click here for a complete copy of the October 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.

Fall is in the air! October brings us blustery days filled with dancing leaves, days of “Indian Summer” with leftover heat, shorter days and cooler nights, and soon the smell of wood stoves fired up. There is a glow that comes with autumn days and changing leaves. Pictures are prettier this time of year! Hot cider or chocolate take the chill off a brisk morning. There is so much to love about the fall! It is especially the time that harvests are ending, which hopefully means storage shelves are full. This is the month we put the finishing touches on being sure “All is safely gathered in” - so that we can say, “Let the winter storms begin.” Our future winter storms may be literal or figurative. Either way, if we have set aside for those “rainy days,” we will feel the peace that such preparedness brings. Preparedness is the way we can dispel fear and fill our life with faith.

Included in this month's newsletter: 

Self Reliance: Spiritual and Temporal things for us to focus on to help our families rely on our own powers and resources rather than those of others

In the Southern Utah Garden: a list of tasks for October to help us put the garden to sleep, or continue with winter over veggies.

Provident Living - Double Duty - Items you can store that have multiple uses.

Home Canning - "Free" Fruit:  How to use Rose Hips for extra vitamin C and jelly.

Fall Fruit - The Awesome Pomegranate: how to extract the fruit, and recipes to use them.

Disaster Prep Tips: a list of ideas to help us plan for whatever may come!

Hot Tips: references for other newsletters for Halloween Makeup and using leftover Jack o Lanterns.

 Click here for a complete copy of the October 2021 Back to Basics Newsletter.